Jegede, Akeredolu cry foul on faulty card readers

…..REC confirms stealing of ballot boxes in Ondo South

…..Observer confirms bribery to buy votes in Ondo West

Both Rotimi Akeredolu and Eyitayo Jegede, Governorship candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) respectively, have condemned malfunctioning of INEC smart card readers deployed for election process in some local government areas, especially in the Ondo Central and North Senatorial Districts.

The Governorship candidates declared that the ugly situation showed that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) did not plan well for the election, saying the information obtained across Ondo Central and North Senatorial Districts have shown that INEC had poor preparation towards the election, and that could mar the whole process.

Eyitayo Jegede, PDP governorship candidate, who cast his vote at about 9:30 at Ward 2, Unit 9, Sacred Heart Primary School, Igbogi/Isakan, Akure South Local Government Area of Ondo state on Saturday, decried another INEC and federal government’s ploy to disenfranchise his supporters from voting him, having failed to disqualified him through legal process.

He said, “I have cast my vote, it has been peaceful so far, I enjoin our people to come out and vote, to vote the candidate of their choice, and I say again that people on the queue should be allowed to vote. I urge INEC to please, in the name of God, allow every person to vote.

“The agenda of disenfranchising the people in Ondo Central and some areas where they know we have strength, will not stand. If they tried to take me out of contest and they did not succeed, and by the grace of God I came in a day before the closing of campaign and I am still here, they know they (INEC and federal government) failed in that regard and now they are trying to disenfranchise our people.”

Also, Rotimi Akeredolu of All Progressives Congress (APC), who exercised his franchise with his wife, Betty at about 10:30am at Ijebu ward 5, Unit 6 in Owo, Owo Local Government Area of the State, said that hitches experienced with INEC smart card readers were part of indications that INEC had poor preparation prior to the election, but said, “it is too early in the day for anyone to pass meaningful comment on the election.”

He added, “But, hitches here and there, have to do with the card readers. I have been trying to reach INEC in every local government where we have these hitches that have to do with card readers. I also got calls from APC members in Idanre (Ondo Central Senatorial District) and the contention is that the Military have refused to follow them into farmsteads.

“It is not that they are colluding to rig this election, but they have refused to follow them to where PDP thugs are, in order to make them have a field day. So, we are looking for Policemen, may be, they will go there, but we thought Military should be ones to go farmsteads and arrest this ugly situation that has reared its head there.”

Responding to the allegation raised by the two governorship candidates, Segun Agbaje, Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Ondo state, said they were aware of some hitches in some places as mentioned,  but noted that alternatives had been provided in order not to disenfranchise people as over 250 smart card readers had been provided for back-up.

He added that Incidence Forms had also been provided where the additional smart readers failed, just as he confirmed that 378,606 out of 1,659,186 people who registered for the election were unable to vote because of their inability to collect permanent voter cards, saying that “INEC is systematically ensuring strict compliance with electoral laws in order to be fair to all.”

Speaking on the overall experience in the conduct of the governorship poll, Agbaje declared that INEC is improving every time it conducts election in the country as INEC Election Situation Control Room in Abuja is commending the so far, but he however confirmed that two ballot boxes were hijacked by some political thugs in Ilaje/Ese-Odogbolu area in Ondo South Senatorial District.

Also, Nwambu Gabriel of the Centre for Credible Leadership and Citizens Awareness, one of the Election Observers accredited for the governorship poll,  revealed that money was used freely in Ondo West and some part of the state by some politicians who cut across PDP, APC and Alliance for Democracy to buy people’s votes.

Gabriel, who noted that such a behaviour was capable of scuttling Nigerian democracy, said, “the sad area of the whole process that we are seeing here is, Ondo West specifically, Ward 8, Units 10, 11 and 12, we noticed some politicians, some of them have gone to start distributing money, that means money for votes. I know that long arms of law will catch up with those who are hell-bent on scuttling our democratic process.”